Exploding whales (1 Viewer)

On Tuesday night I went down the coast determined to find a Great Auk, but sadly was 159 years too late. But there was much to see at the lighthouse near the international airport.

Manx Shearwater were again very much in evidence with a group of several hundred close to land and giving excellent views as they skimmed by. A group of several thousand mixed gulls was feeding off shore, mostly Black-headed, Lesser Black-backed, Herring, GBB, Kittiwake and the odd Glaucous. Hundreds of Puffins were seen flying by and Gannets were also very conspicuous. Robbing all of these birds were dozens of Arctic and Great Skuas and several White-beaked Doæphins could be seen jumping far out to sea. Occasionally we got glimpses of distant petrels, almost certainly Storm Petrels rather than Leach's.

We also noticed off shore a boat, two dinghies and some divers in the water and assumed that it was an exercise by the lifeboats. When we were leaving we heard a massive explosion in the water but couldn't work out what it was. All was revealed when I watched the news last night. They were placing explosives in the carcass of a long-dead Minke Whale and they showed on the news the point where the whale, covered in Fulmars, was blown to smithereens, killing God knows how many Fulmars in the process. Why did they blow it up? This whale carcass had been lying on the shore near a village and visiting tourists had found the sight "distressing, " as if they had never seen a dead hedgehog or rabbit before. It seemed to me a total waste of time, effort and money, and it is totally illegal to kill Fulmars during the summer and any birds at all with explosives. This whale carcass would have rotted away in time, providing plenty of food in the meantime for the abundant seabirds. Icelandic shorelines, by the way, aren't places where people go rollerblading or walking the dog - i.e. you shouldn't imagine that a whale carcass is going to inconvenience anyone unless it is the harbour. It all boils down to boys playing with explosives.

E

I hope you are also publishing your comment in the appropriate local organ, Iceman.

(They should have towed it over here. Big bucks for minkes.)

I happened to speak to a good friend last night who is also president of the Icelandic Soc. for the Protection of Birds and he is going to lodge a complaint on its behalf. They won't waste their resources trying to prosecute as they have more important things to worry about (habitat loss etc.) but they will point out that last night's action was illegal.

By the way I was offered Minke sushi at a Japanese restaurant in Reykjavik on Friday but declined. You're a lucky man Charles living in a country of such fantastic cuisine.

E

... And it's done wonders for my physique. Don't look like a middle-aged American anymore.

Edward said:

I happened to speak to a good friend last night who is also president of the Icelandic Soc. for the Protection of Birds and he is going to lodge a complaint on its behalf. They won't waste their resources trying to prosecute as they have more important things to worry about (habitat loss etc.) but they will point out that last night's action was illegal.

By the way I was offered Minke sushi at a Japanese restaurant in Reykjavik on Friday but declined. You're a lucky man Charles living in a country of such fantastic cuisine.

E

Click to expand...

Now that Iceland is a (controversial new) member of the Intl Whaling Commission and hasn't yet started its "scientific research whaling" program yet, much less its commercial whaling, where on earth would it get minke whale to serve in a restaurant? Sounds like more than illegal blowing up of dead whales is going on there.

Katy